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CDC Temporarily Halts Dozens of Disease Tests, Including Rabies and Poxvirus

The pause raises concern about slower outbreak detection during a CDC reassessment of its test menu.

Alexander Panis, nurse practitioner at St. John's Well Child and Family Center, prepares a COVID-19 test on Thursday, June 25, 2020, in the Wilmington area of Los Angeles. Truck drivers at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach were offered free testing from the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Ashley Landis/AP Photo
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Overview

  • The CDC, which posted the changes Wednesday, paused more than two dozen diagnostic tests that include rabies and the poxvirus group tied to mpox and smallpox.
  • HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon said the step is temporary and that some assays should return in the coming weeks, with CDC helping states secure testing through other labs.
  • The pause covers two human rabies tests used for diagnosis before symptoms and for checking immunity, along with assays for Epstein‑Barr virus and varicella‑zoster.
  • The CDC list also shows some tests discontinued, including leishmaniasis testing, measles immune‑response assays, Epstein‑Barr antibody testing, and combined SARS‑2 and influenza panels.
  • Public‑health experts warn that losing the CDC’s laboratory‑of‑last‑resort role could slow detection of unusual outbreaks, a risk heightened by recent CDC staffing cuts of roughly 20% to 25% even as larger state labs can shoulder some work.